Avery Bradley Out Against Warriors with Sports Hernia

The Clippers’ injury woes just don’t seem to be stopping any time soon this season. Avery Bradley has been dealing with a groin injury for much of the season, and was questionable to play in tonight’s game against the Warriors.

However, he was ruled out an hour ago by Doc Rivers, and the injury has now been classified as a sports hernia. Doc said that Bradley is going to go see a doctor about it soon, which means that Avery is likely going to be out at least a few more games. The worse news is that sports hernias usually require a surgery, and recovery time for that surgery is around 4-6 weeks (per several reputable-looking sites). Bradley being out for that long therefore seems inevitable, and the Clippers will add yet another body count to those players who have missed substantial chunks of the season.

The good news for the Clippers is that Bradley is probably the most replaceable of their rotation guards. His defense is nice, yes, but his offense has been MIA for months (quite possibly because of the injury), and guys like Tyrone Wallace, Sindarius Thornwell, and Jawun Evans (whenever he gets healthy) can hopefully replace some of his defense. For right now, expect the Clippers to lean heavily on Austin Rivers and Lou Williams, as they have done for most of the season.

The interesting note to all this is that Wallace has been called up from Agua Caliente, and will start against the Warriors. Wallace starting isn’t a surprise— he did so for much of January and February. No, the issue is that his 45 days in the NBA from his two-way contract are almost up, and if Bradley is out for more than a few days, the Clippers will need him around. I’d expect them to drag out his last few days as long as possible, and then convert his contract to a regular NBA minimum deal. If nothing else, at least this will be yet another chance for Wallace to prove that he belongs in the NBA.

For now, let’s hope that Bradley’s injury doesn’t require surgery, and that maybe a couple weeks of rest can get him on track for the rest of the season. If surgery is necessary, hopefully the recovery is swift, as the Clippers need all the help they can get to stay in the playoff race.